Golgothan Myrrh

GOLGOTHAN MYRRH
I send thee myrrh, not that thou mayest be by it perfumed, but it perfumed by thee.

Myrrh is a sacred plant whose power has been explored for over four thousand years. It is an ingredient in the Kyphi of the ancient Egyptians and in Ketoret, which was used in the used in the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem. Myrrh was also one of the gifts that the Magi were said to have brought to the infant Christ. This tremendously potent and protective plant resonates with the Crone, and is utilized both to explore the Crone's spheres of death and wisdom, and as a tool to help lead the proverbial child of destiny through darkness to a place of enlightenment.

Myrrh, whose name means Bitter Tears, exists within the auspices of both Saturn and Luna, and represents loss and grief as well as the ability to heal and learn from painful experiences.

I love myrrh. I knew that I had to get this.

On me, warm, sweet, resinous, and deep. There's an almost floral bit to it, and an almost coconutty sweetness hiding in the center of it, though I don't find it to be either floral or foody overall. Lovely and complicated and it is lasting and lasting and laaaasting.

Oh how I wanted to love this. Myrrh is one of my favourite scents, I have a jar of the resin that I use constantly in my incense blends and a bottle of pure essential oil that I treasured for years- but this is all baby powder. In the bottle, out of the bottle in a scent locket, on my skin, on my boy's skin (it's bitter rather than sweet babypowder for him). It doesn't smell at all like myrrh, there's no deep resin, no richness, it's just a light, sweet babypowder. D: D: D: On top of that, this is the first BPAL to make me break out in hives. D:

I love, love, love, love myrrh!!! This one is rich, bittersweet, and animalic, almost like a black musk with spice. Yes, it's a bit powdery, with a dusty soft floral top, but overall it's very potent, dark, and mysterious. I slather and I swoon....

This is the myrrh note I've always smelled in blends. Dark, resinous, woody/bitter, sweet (without smelling like syrup), and with just a hint of cola. As people have mentioned, there's a dusty top note and this smells better as my skin heats up. Even though it's a SN, I might try wearing this alone.

For some reason, I also have a strong psychological reaction to this note. It feels very comforting, like being soothed after you've been crying.

This SN conjures up a lot of scent memories for me. I absolutely adore this one. I find it tough to describe, but I'll try - it's like a high pitched and dusty resin that is warm, sweet and comforting. I was afraid it might go way powdery on me, but it doesn't and it lasts for hours and hours.

So, my scent memories with this one are really happy ones. I used to work at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, Cailfornia and when I first opened the bottle of this oil I was immediately transported back there. Not only was that the best job I ever had (I was a tour guide getting to spend my time studying and teaching about something I love) but it's also one of my favorite places in the world. This Myrrh smells like parts of my experiences there. Specifically, one of the mummies!

The employees at that time all knew about this one mummy that gave off a sweet and resinous scent. One of my bosses showed me how to position my nose just so at the seam in the display case, where air could escape between the sliding glass door, and inhale deeply. That beautiful mummy smells like this beautiful myrrh.

This worried me when I first tried it last night. It was blandly baby powdery and sweet and I was kind of cursing myself for buying two bottles unsniffed. But I put it on again this morning, refusing to believe that one of my favorite notes could suddenly be so boring, and I'm happy to report that it's much better. It's still a little lighter than I expected, but it's now displaying the cloudy resinous warmth that I know and love. It's an ancient and mysterious scent, but close and comforting. I think it just takes awhile to warm up and bloom properly on the skin. Aging might help with that.

In bottle: Not at all what I was hoping for. Very soft and almost rosey?

Wet: Ok, this is totally different on. I am getting some of what I love from myrrh heavy blends like Minotaur, with an almost resinous rose note. Note: I have funky skin, so I might be the only one getting rose here.

Dry: This is lovely. Rich resin with a delicate quality to it that leans into floral/herbal territory while still being highly wearable.

I love myrrh, but I'm glad that I just went with a decant of this. I like the myrrh scents that smell sweet, almost dark and syrupy, and this has a high pitched, perfumey quality that smells bright & sour on me, and (as others have mentioned) a powdery edge to it that I really dislike. I prefer a lot of bpal's GC resin/incense blends to this one (Sloth & Cathedral are my go-tos for myrrh & resins lately, Brotoloigos for a LE).

I have had my bottle a month now and it just keeps getting better and better.

The first time I tried it on it was good but not the deep, resinous oil I was expecting. I knew from Beth' s description at it would only get better with age, plus it was right out of the box. I tried it about a week later and it was a deeper, richer, more developed oil than the week before. It was sweeter and smoother.

Now a good month later, I love it. It lasts all day, it is deep and spicy and everything I had hoped it would be. It really warms up as I wear it and I have gotten compliments every time I have worn it. It is just hauntingly beautiful and will age wonderfully.

Now I know what myrhh smells like! I recognize the note in some of my favourite blends, I'd say more the 'darker' fall and winter friendly blends. This is perfumey in a good way if that makes sense, it really reminds me of King Cobra, and I'll have to check and see if this note is in there. Dries to a 'dark' slightly spicy sweet resinous powder, though in a good way. Not offensive in the least, and quite lovely on it's own. Glad to have a bottle!

There's been a lot of myrrh in blends I love but I never really knew what it smelled like on its own. It's resinous, slightly citrusy, almost reminiscent of leather. A bit musky, slightly dry/dusty, very sensual. I can see this only getting better with age and definitely something I could wear alone.

this myrhh! AAAH! it's gorgeous. sweet, deep and resinous with a touch of citrus. myrrh can be smoky but i don't get that here. it is so rich and i agree that there is something here that reminds me of black musk. there is so much going on here- it is an incredibly complex single note. i love it.